Archive for April, 2016

DBRS views the impact on Husky’s business risk profile as marginally negative due to a lessening in the integration and diversification of the Company’s asset base. The midstream segment has provided a source of stable cash flow partially offsetting the significant erosion in cash flow from oil and gas production activities. DBRS also notes that the Transaction will result in a minor negative impact on Husky’s cash flow (expected 2016 EBITDA contribution from the assets is approximately $180 million; however, Husky will retain a 35% share of EBITDA). However, more importantly, the impact on the Company’s financial risk profile is positive. The Company plans to use the proceeds from the sale to strengthen the Company’s financial position and enhance liquidity. At March 31, 2016, Husky’s total debt was $6.98 billion and the Company had no cash on the balance sheet. For the past 12 month ended March 31, 2016, the Company’s total debt-to-cash flow ratio was 2.90 times (x; up from 2.42x at end of 2015) and total debt in the capital structure was 30.2%. On a pro forma basis, assuming proceeds (before transaction costs) of $1.7 billion are applied to debt reduction, DBRS estimates a total debt-to-cash flow ratio of 2.31x and a ratio of total debt in the capital structure of approximately 24.7%. The Transaction on a stand-alone basis has no immediate impact on the Company’s Issuer Rating and Senior Unsecured Notes and Debentures rating of A (low), the Commercial Paper rating of R-1 (low) and the Preferred Shares – Cumulative rating of Pfd-2 (low).…DBRS at this time maintains a Negative trend on Husky’s ratings as the low oil pricing environment continues to weigh on the Company’s cash flow generation and key credit metrics. However, if the Company successfully completes the asset sale program and/or if oil prices recovery materially, DBRS will review the rating and likely change the trend back to Stable.

HIMIPref™ Preferred IndicesThese values reflect the December 2008 revision of the HIMIPref™ IndicesValues are provisional and are finalized monthly

Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in March indicates that labor market conditions have improved further even as growth in economic activity appears to have slowed. Growth in household spending has moderated, although households’ real income has risen at a solid rate and consumer sentiment remains high. Since the beginning of the year, the housing sector has improved further but business fixed investment and net exports have been soft. A range of recent indicators, including strong job gains, points to additional strengthening of the labor market. Inflation has continued to run below the Committee’s 2 percent longer-run objective, partly reflecting earlier declines in energy prices and falling prices of non-energy imports. Market-based measures of inflation compensation remain low; survey-based measures of longer-term inflation expectations are little changed, on balance, in recent months.…Against this backdrop, the Committee decided to maintain the target range for the federal funds rate at 1/4 to 1/2 percent. The stance of monetary policy remains accommodative, thereby supporting further improvement in labor market conditions and a return to 2 percent inflation.…Voting against the action was Esther L. George, who preferred at this meeting to raise the target range for the federal funds rate to 1/2 to 3/4 percent.

Treasuries trimmed losses from earlier in April after the central bank’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee finished a meeting this week by opting against raising interest rates. The statement suggested officials are still looking for the signs of growth, inflation and global stability to justify a move.

“We read the April FOMC statement as slightly dovish,” according to a report Morgan Stanley issued Thursday by analysts including Matthew Hornbach, the head of global interest-rate strategy in New York. “We see it increasingly unlikely that the Fed will be able to deliver a rate hike at the June FOMC meeting.”

The U.S. economy expanded in the first quarter at the slowest pace in two years as American consumers reined in spending and companies tightened their belts in response to weak global financial conditions and a plunge in oil prices.

Gross domestic product rose at a 0.5 percent annualized rate after a 1.4 percent fourth-quarter advance, Commerce Department data showed Thursday. The increase was less than the 0.7 percent median projection in a Bloomberg survey and marked the third straight disappointing start to a year.

Shaky global markets and oil’s tumble resulted in the biggest business-investment slump in almost seven years, and household purchases climbed the least since early 2015, the data showed. While Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday acknowledged the softness, they also indicated strong hiring and income gains have the potential to reignite consumer spending and propel economic growth.

HIMIPref™ Preferred IndicesThese values reflect the December 2008 revision of the HIMIPref™ IndicesValues are provisional and are finalized monthly

that it has closed its previously announced public offering of 10,000,000 cumulative redeemable minimum rate reset class A preferred shares, Series 13 (the “Series 13 Preferred Shares”) for aggregate gross proceeds of $250 million (the “Offering”). The Offering was announced on April 18, 2016 when Pembina entered into an agreement with a syndicate of underwriters co-led by RBC Capital Markets and Scotiabank.

The Company intends to use the net proceeds from the Offering for capital expenditures and working capital requirements in connection with the Company’s 2016 capital program and to reduce indebtedness under the Company’s credit facilities.

The Series 13 Preferred Shares will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange today under the symbol PPL.PR.M.

Dividends on the Series 13 Preferred Shares are expected to be $1.4375 per share annually, payable quarterly on the 1st day of March, June, September and December, as and when declared by the Board of Directors of Pembina, for the initial fixed rate period to but excluding June 1, 2021. The first dividend, if declared, will be payable September 1, 2016, in the amount of $0.5002 per share.

All of Pembina’s dividends are designated “eligible dividends” for Canadian income tax purposes.

PPL.PR.M is a FixedReset, 5.75%+496M575, announced April 18. The issue will be tracked by HIMIPref™ but relegated to the Scraps index on credit concerns.

The issue traded 1,037,730 shares today (consolidated exchanges) in a range of 24.93-10 before closing at 24.99-04, 1×105. This should be considered “soft”, given that the TXPL total return index returned +1.45% from April 18 to April 27. Vital statistics are:

the completion of its previously announced Preferred Shares, Series CC issue in the amount C$200 million. The offering was underwritten by a syndicate of underwriters led by TD Securities Inc., CIBC Capital Markets, RBC Capital Markets and Scotiabank. On April 18, 2016, the syndicate agreed to purchase 6,000,000 Preferred Shares, Series CC at C$25.00 per share and has since exercised its option in full to purchase an additional 2,000,000 shares at the same offering price.

The Preferred Shares, Series CC will yield 6.00% annually for the initial period ending June 30, 2021. Net proceeds from the issue will be added to the general funds of Brookfield Office Properties and be used for general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, redemption of existing preferred shares, repayment of revolving debt, acquisitions, capital expenditures and working capital needs.

The Preferred Shares, Series CC will commence trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange on April 27, 2016 under the ticker symbol BPO.PR.C.

BPO.PR.C is a FixedReset, 6.00%+518M600, announced April 18. The issue will be tracked by HIMIPref™ but relegated to the Scraps index on credit concerns.

The issue traded 898,337 shares today (consolidated exchanges) in a range of 25.10-25 before closing at 25.18-21, 26×25. This is reasonably close to the expected value, given that the TXPL total return index returned +1.45% from April 18 to April 27. Vital statistics are:

Implied Volatility analysis shows the same peculiar behaviour as was noted on the announcement date, with BPO.PR.N (resetting at +307 on 2016-6-30) and BPO.PR.R (+348 on 2016-9-30) both showing a far higher Expected Future Current Yield than the new issue, despite the new issue’s far higher Issue Reset Spread.

that it intends to redeem all 8,000,000 of its outstanding Class AAA Preference Shares, Series H (TSX: BPO.PR.H), all of which are beneficially held by CDS & Co., as nominee of CDS Clearing and Depositary Services Inc., for cash on May 23, 2016. The redemption price for each such share will be C$25.00 plus accrued and unpaid dividends thereon.

Notice of Redemption has been sent to CDS & Co. Payment of the redemption price will be made to all beneficial holders of the Series H Shares on or after May 23, 2016 through the facilities of CDS & Co.

56.8% of the BPO preference shares series H that holders elected (or are deemed to have elected) to exchange for BOP Split preferred shares were exchanged … In aggregate, $25 million of each of the four series of BOP Split preferred shares were issued.

Dividend Growth Split Corp. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce it has filed a preliminary short form base shelf prospectus, and is undertaking a treasury offering of class A and preferred shares. The final class A and preferred share offering prices will be determined so as to be non-dilutive to the net asset value per unit of the Company as of the pricing date, as adjusted for dividends and certain expenses to be accrued prior to or upon settlement of the offering.
The Company invests in a portfolio of common shares of high quality, large capitalization companies, which have among the highest dividend growth rates of those companies included in the S&P/TSX Composite Index. Currently, the portfolio consists of common shares of the following 20 companies:

Great-West Lifeco Inc.

The Bank of Nova Scotia

CI Financial Corporation

Shaw Communications Inc.

Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc.

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce

IGM Financial Inc.

TELUS Corporation

Manulife Financial Corporation

National Bank of Canada

Power Corporation of Canada

Canadian Utilities Limited

Sun Life Financial Inc.

Royal Bank of Canada

BCE Inc.

Enbridge Inc.

Bank of Montreal

The Toronto-Dominion Bank

Rogers Communications Inc.

TransCanada Corporation

The investment objectives for the class A shares are to provide holders with regular monthly cash distributions targeted to be $0.10 per class A share and to provide the opportunity for growth in the net asset value per class A share.

The investment objectives for the preferred shares are to provide holders with fixed cumulative preferential quarterly cash distributions, currently in the amount of $0.13125 per preferred share, representing a yield on the original issue price of 5.25% per annum, and to return the original issue price to holders of preferred shares on the Company’s maturity date (November 28, 2019).

The syndicate of agents for the offering is being led by RBC Capital Markets, CIBC and Scotiabank.

Dividend Growth Split Corp. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that the Company’s treasury offering of class A and preferred shares has been priced at $6.95 per class A share and $10.00 per preferred share. The final class A and preferred share offering prices were determined so as to be non-dilutive to the most recently calculated net asset value per unit of the Company, as adjusted for dividends and certain expenses to be accrued prior to or upon settlement of the offering, and voluntary payment of certain costs of the offering by the Manager. Gross proceeds of the offering are expected to be approximately $23 million.…The Company intends to file a final short form base shelf prospectus along with a prospectus supplement to such final short form base shelf prospectus in each of the provinces and territories of Canada in connection with the offering. The offering is expected to close on or about May 6, 2016 and is subject to customary closing conditions including approvals of applicable securities regulatory authorities and the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The syndicate of agents for the offering is being led by RBC Capital Markets, CIBC and Scotiabank and includes TD Securities Inc., BMO Capital Markets, National Bank Financial Inc., GMP Securities L.P., Raymond James Ltd., Canaccord Genuity Corp., Desjardins Securities Inc., Industrial Alliance Securities Inc. and Mackie Research Capital Corporation.

Dividend Growth Split Corp. (the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has completed a treasury offering of 1,357,000 class A shares and 1,357,000 preferred shares for aggregate gross proceeds of $23 million. The class A shares and preferred shares will continue to trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the existing symbols DGS (class A shares) and DGS.PR.A (preferred shares).

Yield Calculation Conventions

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